There’s always some new product anxious to help you part with your hard-earned cash. Some products are healthy or helpful, but some are downright dishonest scams[7]. These three have become popular of late. Don’t fall for the hype!

Oil pulling

Nonsensical and useless, the popularity of oil pulling[8] persists. Through very particular “sieving” of an oil mixture in the mouth (think mouth rinse in slow motion), the oil supposedly draws toxins from the blood. If it were possible for oil to “pull” toxins out of the veins in the tongue, it would also be possible for oil to enter the bloodstream through your tongue. A molecule is a molecule. Toxins can’t “leak” out of your veins – if they could, you wouldn’t need to “pull” them out. Besides, even if toxins could “leak” from your veins, it would take far more than 15 or 20 minutes of “pulling” to cleanse your entire blood supply. Furthermore, fat-soluble toxins (the kind that would bind to oil) are not in the bloodstream. They are in your…fat cells! And on and on it goes. Read this terrific expose[9] if you still think oil pulling is effective – it’s guaranteed to change your mind.

Homeopathic Compact Discs

Oh, brother. There are some discs out there that apparently “transmit” homeopathic waves to your body via your computer. What will they come up with next? See Mark’s scathing breakdown of homeopathy[10] – or, more accurately, of bad science.

Toxin-Removing Skin Patches

Patches that claim to draw toxins out of the skin are bogus[7]. It’s simply not possible.